This site was known to be where the conquistadors kept their horses. In 1804, Antonio López de Santa Anna, father of the future president of the same name, ordered its conversion into a military barracks. It was built based on a design by Manuel Mascaró and assigned to the detachment of the Provincial Cavalry Corps of Lancers from the city of La Antigua.

The building originally featured a front portico formed by columns and arches, rooms for the troops, quarters for the commander and his escort, stables, a corral, storage rooms, a kitchen, and a holding area for prisoners.

During the War of Independence, it was used as stables and an armory by the army led by General Guadalupe Victoria.

The structure has lost much of its original appearance due to environmental damage and vandalism; only the walls remain standing today.